Struggle Between Powers
by Nature Sage
Summary: Attacks from Gannon have grown thin, Hyrule seems peaceful. But when Zelda finds everyone in the castle against her, she realizes that Gannon isn't the only threat. Based on the cartoons. Chapter 6 is up. Please r/r.
1. Chapter 1

****

Struggle Between Powers  
Chapter One

__

A/N: Wow, did it take forever for me to come up with a name for this! Watch me change it tomorrow...LOL. Hope you like it! It's based on the cartoons and, loosely, Zelda 1. A different twist to my usual stuff...Please R&R, as always!

****

"WAIT!" Zelda screamed, running after the carriage. She shielded her eyes from the afternoon sun as she hastened along the dirt road to Mido, occasionally tripping over her extensive, rose dress. The carriage squealed to a halt, and the Princess nearly crashed into it. The hero of the country, Link, quickly dismounted and ran to the fallen Zelda.

"Sorry," he said lamely. "I'm in a hurry, though, so make it quick!"

"I wanted...to wish you luck...on your competition...in Mido..." she panted, lying on her back in the path. Dirt was strewn through her long, golden hair. "You didn't stop...as quickly...as I'd hoped..."

"Sorry about that, Princess," he said, laughing. "You want me to ride you back to the castle, or would you rather - "

"Yes," she said flatly, and Link laughed again. He gently lifted and placed her in the back, along with all of his equipment. "Is all this stuff really necessary for archery?" she asked, inspecting the apples and various other fruit.

"Of course," he replied, climbing back onto the horse out in front. "I need to practice, don't I? It's not like I'm going to come straight from traveling and be able to win the annual Deku Athletics Festival."

"Sure you can," Zelda smiled. "You're Link! Link can do anything." They exchanged a grin, and then Link turned the carriage back around to the castle. Once a year, for as long as either of them could remember, the citizens of Mido held an athletic competition known to all by the name Deku. Apparently, there had been a Deku boy named Mido that had lived long ago, but no one could really be sure, since it had been many generations past.

"There you two are! I was beginning to wonder if you'd stopped!" a tiny voice yelled as Link pulled back into the stable.

"It's fine, Spryte," Zelda assured her. "I didn't catch his attention as fast as I should have."

"Nah, I saw her, but I wanted to make her run for a while," Link said, and soon after received a whack from Zelda. "I thought you could use a little more exercise!"

"Oh, _this_ is going to get ugly!" Spryte giggled as she flew back to attend to her chores.

"You thought I needed exercise?" Zelda shrieked. "But look how thin I already am!"

"I, uh, didn't mean it _that_ way, Princess!"

"Oh, sure! Good luck on your competition, you dolt!"

"Zelda..." Link called, but she had already stormed away. He sighed, remembering how moody girls were about that kind of thing. He turned to his faithful horse, who even seemed to be snickering at him. "So I don't know exactly what to say to make her like me. I'll work on it!"

* - * - *

"Zelda, my dear," the King said upon seeing his daughter moping about. "I have good news! The people of Rauru are holding a talent contest, and _you_, my dear, are the supreme judge!"

"Wonderful," she said half-heartedly. "When do I leave?"

"Right now. But first, a girl has come to see you. She is from the town of Saria."

The Princess sighed angrily, walking to the main parlor, where the guests usually waited. She saw a dark-haired girl, perhaps her own age, with glittering green eyes awaiting her arrival. Taking a deep breath, she smiled warmly at the girl. "Welcome to the castle. Forgive me; I was speaking with one of our people," she said through gritted teeth. "Some just don't know how to respect a lady."

The girl laughed, curtsying before Zelda. "My name is Shiga, and I come from Saria. I am an aspiring sorceress, and I seek training from the best...meaning, I'd like to learn from you."

Zelda blushed deeply, not used to being appreciated for her skill in magic. "I would love to train you, Shiga. But I have an appointment in Rauru, please excuse me, but I must leave at once. You can stay here and perhaps protect the Triforce."

"The Triforce?" Shiga said, looking more interested. "I don't know if, at my level, I am capable of that kind of spell..."

"Nonsense," Zelda said, waving her hand knowingly. "You'll do just fine. We don't expect any attacks from Gannon in the near future. As I said, I must go now. Good luck! If anything happens, tell the guards!" With that, the Princess left, hurrying to the stable to catch her carriage to Rauru.

"Don't you worry, Zelda dear," Shiga said, looking to where she had left the room and smiling quite smugly. "The Triforce will be plenty protected from Gannon. But who will protect it from me?"

* - * - *

"Announcing the arrival of: Link, the returning champion!"

Link stepped out to the field, waving at the cheering crowd. The Deku Festival was all about making the ancestors proud, and Link couldn't be doing much of a better job. He strode up to the starting line, and aimed his bow carefully. He let the arrow whiz through the air, striking the target dead in the center. The crowd let up another supportive roar, and Link felt his confidence grow. He shot forth another arrow, which landed just outside the center ring. Scowling, he aimed another show.

Suddenly, a wave of pain struck Link in his right arm, his aiming arm. He cried out and let an arrow fly, nearly missing an innocent civilian of Mido. "What's wrong with you, boy?" one of the audience members cried, and the pain instantly left.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, unsure of what was happening. One thing he was sure of, though; Zelda was not safe.

Meanwhile, the Princess was witnessing strange acts, supposedly called "talent." She could not believe some of the things people were willing to do for one thousand Rupees. One old man stepped up and swallowed two hundred fifty Giant Bees. Zelda was absolutely disgusted.

"And now," the announcer announced, "the fair Princess Zelda of Hyrule will choose the Gerudo Talent Revelry winners!"

"Me?" Zelda chirped, about to panic.

"Why, of course," he said quietly. "Didn't your father tell you?"

"No," she hissed back. Then, smiling and standing up, she said, "You were all very talented and deserve to win the prize. _However_...I am only allowed to choose one. Um...you were all so good...please, give me a few moments to decide." After quick deliberation, she said again, "I have selected a winner! Third prize, one hundred Rupees, goes to...Tina of Nabooru!"

There was a soft applause as Tina went up and accepted her prize, then Zelda went on. "In second place, with his amazing solo re-enactment of the Great Hylian Wars, is Stephan of Mido!" Stephan graciously accepted his five hundred Rupees. "And first place, with her amazing magic power, goes to Sharon of Ruto!"

Sharon smiled warmly, and accepted her thousand Rupees. "I would like to thank you, Zelda, for inspiring me. I would like to thank my parents, for raising me in a magical environment, and my brother, for always playing 'victim' when we were kids. Also, the three Golden Goddesses, Din, Farore, and Nayru, for allowing us to be blessed with this natural magic ability. Thank you!" The audience cheered as she descended the stage. Zelda groaned and climbed back into her carriage.

"That was much longer than I had hoped," she admitted.

"I'll say," commented her driver, whose name was Mido. "Ready to go back home, milady?"

"Yes. I can't wait to go to sleep!" She looked out the windows as they started down the road to the castle. "I hope Link's doing good in his match," she commented, lounging in the back. "I can't imagine him losing, though. I mean, he _is_ the best swordsman in all of Hyrule...the best archer, other than me...the best at basically everything. I hope the Triforce is okay with that girl...what was her name again?"

"Shiga," Mido reminded.

"Yes, that was it. She seemed alright with everything when we left..." Zelda closed her eyes and listened to the crickets of the night air. "It's getting dark. I'm going to go to sleep, okay? Good night..."

"Good night, milady."

"Welcome back, Your Highness," the guards said in unison. Zelda edged past them uneasily, unsure of the reason they acted so courteously. Usually the guards treated her as just another resident of the castle.

"Um...thank you," she said nervously. She rushed directly to the throne room, hoping that her father had some answers to this mystery.

"Zelda," a familiar voice called from within the throne room. "How sweet of you to join us."

"Shiga?" Zelda demanded, running into the room. Surely enough, there was Shiga, with the Triforce of Wisdom at her side.

"How thoughtful of you to remember my name," she purred. "What a pity that all you've got is the Triforce of Wisdom. Both of them would be ever so much more useful to me."

"How did you learn to use that?" she yelled.

"It's not a matter of learning, my dear," Shiga said slyly. "It's a matter of having the power. Some are born with powers as great as yours, Your Royal Majesty." She laughed sourly.

Zelda stood upright. "Guards, I command you to seize this...this..._thing_ at once!" None of the guards made a move.

"Foolish girl," she laughed. "This is my castle now, all inhabitants minions of Shiga. Except that annoying little pixie...but I took care of her. Aww, why the angry look? If you had not been so careless, this castle would still be yours."

The Princess realized that she was right. It had been her inattentive decision to put Shiga in charge of the Triforce...if only Link had been there to protect it! But responsibility ultimately lay with her. "How did you do this?" she demanded weakly.

"Simple. My vast, extensive power of mind control has everyone in this castle obeying my every whim. Except those with royal blood, who remain unaffected..."

"So that's why you don't have Spryte," Zelda said thoughtfully.

"Ooh, very good!" Shiga taunted. "Do you want you lollypop now, or later?"

"What about my father? And Link?"

"Your father had caused me enough grief," she spat. "He's in the jail cells awaiting his execution! Link, on the other hand, never returned from whatever journey he had ventured upon. As soon as he comes back, though, he'll be mine. That will be the end of your little team, eh?"

Zelda gasped. "But...what about me?"

Shiga gladly accepted a chalice from one of the servants. "I have a fortune planned for you far worse than anyone else's," she said darkly. "You will spend eternity, watching the land you once protected deteriorate into my world. The best part is, no one will be willing to help you!"

"You can't do this!" she yelled, running toward the sorceress. Four guards instantly seized her, and dragged her out of the castle.

"Ta ta, Princess," Shiga laughed. After that, she was out of sight.

"Link!" Spryte screamed, pounding on the glass of her tiny prison cell. "I need help! The Princess is in danger!" Spryte, after all, was the Princess of the Fairies. She was in a jar, stranded in the room where the Triforce used to rest, but now Shiga had it with her.

The pint-sized fairy gave up screaming and searched around the room for some way to escape. There was always the window, but the problem was how to escape the jar. _I know! I'll knock myself off of this pedestal, and the glass will shatter when I hit the floor,_ Spryte thought, feeling rather smart. She flew at one side with all of her speed, and toppled the jar off of the pedestal, just as she had planned. It fell and bounced off of the floor.

"Hey!" she cried when the glass didn't break. A dark violet cloud appeared above her, and the face of Shiga was seen in the center.

"Foolish fairy," she sneered, the Triforce glowing behind her image. Spryte felt the anger boiling within her. "Don't you think I planned for this? I am now, after all, the most powerful woman in all of Hyrule!"

"Not for long!" Spryte screamed, her little body glowing with hate. "Link will come back and save me, _and_ Zelda!"

Shiga laughed. "Your pathetic hero Link will be under my control, just like the others. Have I doused your hopes enough for now?" With that, the image evaporated into the air.

"Ooh! I'll show her!" Spryte fumed. She rolled the jar over against the wall, finding a spare sword lying on the ground. "Perfect for this pathetic excuse for a lid!" she cried gleefully, using all of her might to push the two together. Before long, she was free, and speeding toward Mido to find Link.

Meanwhile, Link was already headed down a path toward the castle. "Why couldn't I have thought for once and brought along a horse?" he wondered, as he had left his carriage back in Mido. He desperately longed for something to drink, although it wasn't horribly long until he reached the castle, anyway.

"Link! Link, it's me!" Spryte called, flying down in front of him.

"Spryte!" he cried happily. "What happened to Zelda?"

"How did you know?"

"I felt something evil, like dark magic or something, and decided that Zelda was in trouble. Like an idiot, I left the horses back in the town..."

Spryte laughed. "That's forgivable, I suppose. Zelda doesn't need us right now anyway. A girl came to the castle and took over in Zelda's absence! I didn't know what to do after they captured me, but I broke free and came to warn you!"

Link sighed, feeling defeated already. "I guess we'll have to go get the Triforce back, right?"

"Wrong. Shiga has it with her. We need it back, but force is not the way to get it. And you can't go in; her mind control affects everyone except royal bloodline!"

"Great!" he said, even more frustrated. "How are we supposed to get it back now?"

The fairy swayed uncertainly in the air. "Um...I was thinking that maybe we could get the Triforce of Power from the old Underworld. Gannon is dead, after all."

"I guess it's our only choice, other than looking all over for the Triforce of Courage," Link admitted. "There's an underworld entrance not too far from here. Let's go!"

Meanwhile, things were going smoothly in the underworld. Gannon was not dead, like Spryte and Link believed, but was awaiting something such as this to happen. "Perfect!" he yelled in a hoarse, raspy voice. "With Link and Zelda gone, Hyrule will be mine! All I need it this, the Triforce of Power!" He held it triumphantly over his head, grinning and laughing like a maniac. He continued laughing for several minutes, and then sat down to come up with a plan.

"I must be of royal bloodline," he said thoughtfully, pacing back and forth in front of his throne. "I am, after all the Prince of Evil! The Evil Jar is destroyed, but I'll soon repair it. My magic will be boundless! Hyrule is mine!" he repeated, and cackled evilly. "Sunset in two days. That will give me enough time to prepare for my attack! And that Shiga girl is no match for me!"

Gannon eased into his throne. Soon, he knew, Hyrule would be his.

__

**The End of Chapter One**

Yippee! I _have_ come up with a story line! I'm so proud of myself. I thought it'd be weeks before I came up with something. I thought I'd try something different from my usual Zelda 64 fics. So hooray for me, I've joined the Write About Zelda Cartoons club! (That is, if there is a such thing ^_^) Please review my first EVER attempt at this! Notice how I've been having a lot of first attempts recently? :)

Like I said in the last sentence, PLEASE review!! Please? Thank you!!


	2. Chapter 2

****

Struggle Between Powers  
Chapter Two

__

A/N: Sorry, but I forgot to explain why Gannon was assumed dead! In the last episode of the cartoon, Gannon is crushed by falling rocks when the castle is raising back out of the ground (confusing, I know...it's something like that) and he doesn't pop up at the end to curse Link and Zelda, or say that Hyrule will be his. Yes, I make fun of Gannon a *lot* for saying, "Hyrule will be mine!"

****

"Are you sure about this, Link?" Spryte, the fairy princess, asked uneasily as she and Link descended the long stairway to the underworld. "I feel an evil presence in this place."

"Of course you do, Spryte; Gannon died here," Link said casually, leading the way. They were on a quest to get the Triforce of Power out of the rubble of the underworld, but even he would admit that it didn't look so much like rubble as he had expected it to. Shiga, an evil sorceress from the town of Saria, had taken the Triforce of Wisdom and exiled Princess Zelda to a life of loneliness. All they needed was the Triforce of Power, and Shiga would be no match for Zelda's ability.

Spryte remained silent and perched herself on Link's shoulder, watching for something to happen. As they approached the innermost chamber, however, she could hear the sorcerer's evil laughter from deep within it. "Link...you stay here. I hear something."

"Okay," Link said obediently, watching the fairy fly ahead.

She sneaked silently through the corridors, trying to recall the layout of the underworld. She could tell that it was different, even with her visits very rare. "I know he's in here, I can feel it," she said to herself, glancing around a corner. Her little eyes widened at what she saw.

"As soon as my Stalfos and Moblins are ready to attack, Hyrule will be mine!" Gannon cackled. Luckily, he had his back turned to Spryte and couldn't see the fairy spying. "Shiga does not have the gift with that Triforce like Zelda does! I will be able to take the kingdom from her in a millisecond!" He laughed again, holding up the Triforce of Power. It glowed an enchanting red. Panicked, Spryte flew back to Link and told him about Gannon's plan.

"So we actually _do_ have to look for the missing piece of the Triforce," Link said, discouraged. He and Spryte immediately set off toward Ruto to seek the aide of the wise men.

"Maybe we should find it ourselves," Spryte suggested, again lazily perched on Link's shoulder. "I doubt that the Wise Men will be able to tell us where the Triforce is; after all, if they knew, we'd have it already!"

"Hmm...You're right," Link considered. "I guess we'll try to find it. Where have we not been yet?"

"Let's go to Darunia! I have a friend who lives there and I'd love to talk to her!"

Link sighed. "Spryte, this is about Zelda and Hyrule, not about your friends! We haven't got time for that sort of thing!" Spryte, looking troubled, flew a little ways ahead of him. "I'm sorry; we don't have time! After the kingdom is safe, we'll come back and visit your friend."

"Thank you!" she said happily, kissing him on the cheek. "You're so nice. We'll go look around the castle first."

"Yeah," he replied numbly. They turned around and traveled all the way back to the North Castle of Hyrule.

"Zelda, my dear, sweet little Princess," Shiga cooed, mocking a smile to the imprisoned Zelda. "Aren't you glad I changed my mind? You don't have to live with all those dreaded peasants, after all!"

"I'd have much rather lived in poverty than right here with you," Zelda smirked. Shiga gave her a sold stare.

"Well. I'll soon change your mind about that. You get to be the guest of honor at precious Daddy's execution! Charmed, I'm sure!"

"You vile, evil little beast," Zelda spat. "Link will save us before you kill my father."

Shiga laughed, grinning at the Princess. "I'm sure he will. But he'll be the _other_ guest of honor; under my control, performing both of the Royal Executions! I hope I've brought cheer and happiness into your day," she chortled.

"He won't do it. He loves me."

"Loves you?" she asked incredulously, laughing again. "Princess, darling, the moment he sets foot in that castle door, he'll be mine forever!"

"He won't!" Zelda said desperately, trying to convince herself that it wasn't true. "Your spell can break a lot of things, but not love. Not Link's and mine. We're too close for you to pull us apart."

"Oh really?" Shiga said sweetly. "We'll just have to see about that. In the past, I've broken up several couples, far more in love than you two. I see no reason why my spell won't work on him; he isn't a prince."

"Then why do you want him?"

She laughed again, turning to leave. "Silly girl, why did I want any of this? Because you have it!" With that, she left Zelda in her prison cell.

"I don't understand," she said to herself, after Shiga was out of earshot. "Link would not fall under her power, he cares about me too much. Not to say that I love him; I don't. I don't _think_ I do...but I suppose I'll never know." She silenced herself as tears began to roll down her pale cheeks. The looked around and realized that this was all real, it was all happening. She actually was in a prison cell beneath her own castle, and Gannon had not even been the cause. Creeping into the corner, she wept in silent defeat.

Gannon examined his army, grinning evilly. "In a few short hours, Hyrule will be mine! All we need to do is storm the castle gates; that Shiga person won't suspect a thing!"

"Uh, but what about her powers?" a Moblin asked.

"And Link? He's surely there, as well!" a Stalfos added.

"Don't you think I planned for all that?" Gannon yelled, his mind racing to come up with a strategy. "If Link is there, he will help us! He wants this person out of the throne as much as I do - er, WE do! And her powers are no match for the Triforce of Power!" He cackled again, and led his army toward the castle.

"I don't know if this is a good plan," the Moblin muttered.

"We should do the planning from now on," the Stalfos agreed, keeping his voice low as not to be heard by Gannon.

"Here's the new plan: you and me go and grab the Triforce of Wisdom while Gannon distracted by the girl. Then Hyrule will be _ours_!"

"Here we are!" Gannon announced, calling his troops to a halt. "Now you stay here until I use my magic to summon you in!" With that, he warped to the throne room, coming face to face with a very surprised Shiga.

"Who let you in here?" she demanded, longing on her modified version of the throne. She was lying on her side, head propped up by her arm. "Guards!"

"Nice work you've done here," Gannon said slyly, examined the new and more colorful throne room. "It much reminds me of the old Gerudo traditions, back in ancient times."

"Yes, well, some ancestors of mine were Gerudo. I am what is left of a long-extinct race."

"Oh, no; I am, as well."

Shiga seemed more interested now, her eyes opened a bit more than halfway. "What do you want here? There is nothing for you, just for the rightful ruler of this country. Me."

"That is where you are wrong!" Gannon shrieked, and suddenly hundreds of Moblins and Stalfos appeared, charging straight toward the part-Gerudo girl. She held up her hand and they all instantly stopped. Irritated, she got down from her throne and circled around behind it.

"I'll take that back, thank you," she said, taking the Triforce from the Moblin's hand. She then returned to her previous position and waved her hand casually. "I won't hold this attempt at a takeover against you this time, brother Gerudo. I have important matters to discuss with my minions, so if you would kindly exit my castle I would be forever grateful.

Gannon was fuming. He stormed angrily out of the castle, not even bothering to teleport this time. "I don't understand it!" he raged, pacing back and forth in front of the castle gates. "The Triforce of Power was not strong enough to keep my slaves under my command! I need more power...another Triforce..."

"Hurry up, Spryte," he heard, glancing hopefully behind him. Surely enough, there was Link and Spryte, lugging the Triforce of Courage behind them. A sinister grin spread across Gannon's face.

"I'm going as fast as I can go!" Spryte whined, trying her very best to keep the Triforce afloat. It was terribly heavy, after all, and it was hard to carry for the tiny fairy.

"Link! The Triforce of Courage! It's mine!" Gannon exclaimed, running toward them. Link quickly threw the Triforce to the ground and stood between it and Gannon.

"Nice try," he said wryly, "but it's not yours. Not yet, anyway," he added under his breath. After long hours of searching, he and Spryte had finally found the Triforce of Courage, and were not exactly in good enough shape to deal with Gannon at that moment.

The pig-faced monster pondered this attempt at defense for a moment, and then smiled as innocently as he could. "Link, I am not after the Triforce! I need your help! That sorceress has taken over the castle, and our only hope of getting it back is working together!"

Link gave him a questioning look. "What are you talking about?"

'My army of hundreds of monsters just stormed the castle, and she took control of them all," Gannon said sadly. "We both want the throne back, but that girl is standing in our way. We can get rid of her together, _then_ battle it out for the throne!"

"Don't listen to him, Link!" Spryte warned, whispering in his ear as he considered this offer. "He'll only betray us and take the Triforce!"

Link creased his lips, then finally said, "All right. You've got yourself a deal."

"Good! Now, what we need to do is come up with a plan," Gannon said, rubbing his hands together. "You stay the night here! I'm returning to the underworld!" With that, he was gone.

"Are you insane?" the fairy screamed, pounding her tiny fists on Link's head. "I warned you! Don't say I didn't!"

"Relax, Spryte," he said casually, putting his hands on the sides of the Triforce. "All we have to do is get the Triforce of Power from _him_ before he gets this one from us. See? Easy!"

"I don't know about this," she said shakily, sitting on the tip of the glowing, green triangle.

"This is perfect!" Gannon cackled to himself, pacing in front of his throne in the underworld. "That idiot hero is actually trusting me on this! Soon, Hyrule will be mine! As soon as I come up with a master plan, I just need to decide the right time to take the Triforce from him! Ha, ha! I will rule the world!"

__

**The End of Chapter Two**

Yippee. I'm done with this chapter. What happens next? Will Link's mind be taken control of? Will he actually kill Zelda and her father? Will Gannon get the Triforce of Courage? Full of questions, eh? Find out in the next chapter, coming (hopefully) soon!

And please review! :) Thanks!!


	3. Chapter 3

****

Struggle Between Powers  
Chapter Three

__

A/N: Waah. My lamer little N64-adjusted mind accidentally colored the Triforce wrong. Courage and Wisdom have each other's colors. But you know what? I'm not gonna fix it! Because I know that I'll keep making that mistake and people will be going "But this one was GREEN in the last chapter..." So I'm gonna let it be. Again, sorry about that!

Link and Spryte spent the night taking turns sleeping, waiting for Gannon to attack them and make off with the Triforce of Courage. It was only a matter of time, they knew, and guarded the sacred triangle with their lives. When morning finally rolled around, they were both shocked and pleased to see that the Triforce was still there.

"Now all we have to do is wait here for him to come back," Link said, referring to the beast. "With this, and the Triforce of Power, Shiga will have to surrender the castle back to Zelda and her father."

"I hope she hasn't killed them yet," Spryte said darkly. Fear washed over Link's face; he obviously hadn't planned for that. After seeing that, the fairy tried to add helpfully, "She's probably waiting for you to try save them, though."

__

What if they are dead? Link wondered to himself, glancing at his sword. He knew that the part-Gerudo little rogue would pay dearly for Zelda's life.

"I'm back," Gannon said, in a sinister-yet-happy tone. "I've got the perfect plan!"

Spryte flew back and behind Link. She still didn't trust this monster, and wasn't planning to for a while. He had proposed an alliance with them to get the kingdom back, and later battle it out for the official rights to the throne, but Spryte just knew that he was planning something. "And just what might your plan be? Hmm?"

"You can go in and distract her," the sorcerer said to the fairy, "while Link and I fight off the guards and recapture the Triforce!"

"I don't know if this is gonna work," Link said warily. "Why don't we just go in and talk to her?"

"Plus, Link is not of royal bloodline!" Spryte argued. "Shiga will take control of his mind!"

Gannon waved his hand uncaringly. "Not if he doesn't draw attention to himself!" he snapped, then smiled a frightening grin at Link. "What do you say? Deal?"

Link wavered uneasily, glancing to his fairy friend for advice. She just perched on his shoulder, awaiting his sure-to-be-stupid decision. Taking a deep breath, he finally said, "I'll do it."

"Good!" Gannon cackled, then remembered to act serious. Spryte scowled at the monster; Link was an idiot for even agreeing to this in the first place! "Perhaps we could sneak in a back way?"

"Forget that part," Link laughed. "After this is all over and I've won the two Triforces, you'll use the secret entrance to break in and take them anyway.

Gannon fumed, but somehow managed to act genuinely hurt. "How dare you think such a thing of me? I would never do that to my partner!"

Link mumbled some not-so-nice things and Spryte giggled. "Let's just go in," she suggested, smiling brightly. Link, too, muffled his laughter along with her.

The fairy flew straight into the castle, and a loud crash was heard. Several of the guards posted outside ran in to deal with the powerful little pixie. Link smiled and shuffled in along the wall, leaving Gannon as backup.

"How dare you attack here?" Shiga raged, shooting magic at the fairy, who easily darted aside. "I'll turn your precious pal Link into a frog, and he'll eat you for breakfast!"

"No he won't; he didn't last time," Spryte smirked, dodging another bolt of angry energy. Spryte was rather glad that she'd let Link agree to this. She was having quite a lot of fun with the enraged girl.

Link grinned as he quietly lifted the Triforce of Wisdom from its new pedestal. Holding it along with the Triforce of Courage, he created a protective barrier around himself, hoping that the slight gleam didn't catch Shiga's attention. He tiptoed quietly along the wall. Just as he reached the doorway, it slammed shut.

"You thought you could get away?" she crowed triumphantly. "Well, guess what? YOU CAN'T! BWA HAHAHAHAHA!"

Link glanced up fearfully, seeing Shige floating and gloating about his loss. Sighing, he turned to face her, not daring to let the shield down. "What do you want? I've got the Triforces, now you've got to give up."

"And I'll have the Triforces when I'm through with you!" she laughed. After a few seconds, she peered down at him in awe. "It's not working. You were supposed to drop the Triforces."

"Oh," Link said, dropping them. Then he realized how stupid that just was.

"Good! My mind control _does_ still work! Link, your new name is Emperor Luagia."

Link stared. She thought he was under her control? He was about to correct her when she kept talking.

"Luagia, your next assignment is to kill the King's daughter! Go now and see your victim!"

"Link!" Spryte cried, flying down in front of his face. He stumbled back, falling against the door. "Come back to me, Link! You're not taken over, are you?"

"Um...yeah," he said bluntly. "I have to go kill Zelda now, Spryte, so will you excuse me?" He gritted his teeth and gave her a stare, and she stared back for a moment. Then it dawned on her, and she fled from the castle, sobbing.

"Well?" Gannon demanded when Spryte came out.

"He's in the castle. Shiga caught him and made him give back the Triforce, and she took the other one, too."

"So he's under her control!?"

"Sadly, yes," Spryte said. "I'll have to go break the spell later tonight. You just go back to the underworld and let me handle this."

Gannon scoffed. "You think I'm going to miss this? Not for all of Hyrule! _I'll_ save him with the Triforce of Power!" With that, he warped back to the underworld.

Spryte giggled. "You idiot," she said aloud. "He's not under the spell. He's pretending to be so that he can save Zelda!"

She fluttered over to where Link had left some of his belongings, trying to think the situation out. "Link will pretend to be under the spell, and will agree to execute Zelda and her father. Of course, Zelda will be the first to die, because Shiga will want to see her die at the hand of Link. But he'll drop the sword and rescue her. Where will they run to? Oh, Link; I don't know if this is a good idea..."

Meanwhile, Shiga was showing Link to Zelda's cell. "I trust that you'll have a nice little chat with her. I'll even release you of my control so that you can spend a few moments with her...and to that she can see you as normal one last time before you kill her! Ha, this is going to be great!"

Zelda lay asleep in her cell, shivering against the cold, concrete floor. She awoke to a rattling on the bars. "Rise and shine, Pretty Little Princess," Shiga giggled. "Your hero has arrived! But guess what? He's MY hero now! Emperor Luagia, enter." He did, quite obediently. She locked the cell behind him. "I'll leave you two alone. Luagia, you can return to being Link now."

Link looked around, as though he was surprised. "Where am I?"

"Link!" Zelda sobbed, jumping up and hugging him. "You're captured! I can't believe it!"

"Yeah, neither can I," he said dryly. Zelda stepped back and gave him a questioning glare, but he shook his head in Shiga's direction, toward the stairs, and the princess let it go.

"Come over here, sit down and talk to me for a moment." He did, again, very obediently. Zelda took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Look. I know I'm not the nicest person in the world. I'm quite rude to you actually. The last time I saw you...I'm sorry. I was in a lot of stress."

"I should have been the one under stress; I was about to fight in a competition right after the girl of my dreams insulted me!"

Zelda looked down, saddened. "I'm the girl of your dreams?"

"Well, yeah," he said softly. "Why wouldn't you be?" He paused for a moment, deciding whether or not he would go on. "You're smart, you're fun, you like doing all the stuff that I do. Not to mention you're gorgeous."

"You mean you don't just love me for being a princess?"

Link smiled. "If you were the poorest person in the world, I'd love you just the same."

Zelda finally looked up, her eyes beaming. "Oh...I love you, too, Link! I love you!"

"Wow, is this actually happening?" he joked. Zelda giggled.

"I hope not. Maybe neither of us will remember in the morning." She leaned forward and kissed him softly, then pulled back almost immediately, laughing. "I CANNOT believe I just did that!"

"Alright, that's enough of that!" Shiga yelled, storming back into view. "I didn't call for any kissing here! You're just supposed to - um, nevermind. Don't want to reveal my evil, diabolical plot. Come, Luagia."

Zelda raised a questioning eyebrow at Link, who sighed in exasperation. He got up and followed her out of the room, leaving his princess to wonder what was to become of her.

__

**The End of Chapter 3**

Wahooie! I actually DID find time to finish this! *grin* But it's really short. I wanted the execution to be a separate part, though; that's gonna be long. Don't worry about that.. Sigh, on with the show, right? Please please review! :)


	4. Chapter 4

****

Struggle Between Powers  
Chapter Four

The streets of Saria were filled with people, all murmuring with slight amusement about the execution about to take place. The victim's identity had been strictly kept secret; only the Royal Family knew who was to die on that day.

The tower in the center of the town was built only a day ago; the castle workers who constructed it paid no heed to the villager's questionings. They built mindlessly, day in and day out, for nearly a week. The heartless wooden tower that now stood in the center of Saria was obviously for a fire, cremation of the still-breathing victim. The people did not particularly accept this sort of thing, but were anxious to see who had committed such a hideous crime.

The days wore on, each second growing closer to Princess Zelda's murder. She passed the time in her jail cell, in the dungeon beneath the castle, wishing for another moment of freedom. She had no idea where her father had been taken; she hadn't seen him for weeks. She wished desperately to be able to talk to him one last time before she was killed.

Link had been kept far away from the dungeon, running errands and tending to Shiga, who had overthrown the monarchy far too easily. He managed to keep her fooled, for now. She thought that he was under her spell, but for some reason he wasn't affected by it. The Princess's life depended on his acting skills, he realized, because if she found out about this...Link didn't even want to consider what would happen then. He would probably be killed, along with Zelda and her father, by an angry sorceress. Then Gannon would have to rely on his own skill to get the Triforces of Wisdom and Courage back. Chuckling at the thought, the hero dusted the mantle in the throne room. He had been given cleaning duty of the throne room until the execution. Life with Shiga was almost like life with Zelda, only he didn't get to ask for a kiss every minute. Not that he would even _want_ to with Shiga.

"Something funny, Emperor Luagia?" Shiga demanded. She had decided that Luagia would be Link's name for when he was under her power.

"No," he sighed, mentally slapping himself for laughing too loud.

She smugly slid down off of her throne and sauntered up to Link's side, carefully sliding her arm around his waist. He pulled away instantly, staggering back a few steps and crashing into one of the guards.

"Oh, you're no fun!" she snapped, standing over him and the heap of guards on the floor. "What's the big deal, anyway? You're supposed to be under my power!"

"I, um, I am," he said nervously.

"THEN WHY WON'T YOU EVER DO WHAT I WANT?" Shiga screamed, storming off toward the stairs to the dungeon. Link sighed with relief, because she was gone and hadn't figured anything out, and resumed his dusting and cleaning.

Shiga threw open the iron gate of Zelda's prison and collapsed on the ground in front of her. "Why is your stupid boyfriend so stubborn?" she wailed.

"What boyfriend?" Zelda asked nonchalantly, trying to ignore the little brat best she could.

"Link!" she said, pulling Zelda down onto the floor with her. "I try and try to get him to like me, but it doesn't work! Ever! I can't understand it!"

"You're not me," the princess said simply. "Link only loves me." She instantly blushed. "Er-- um, I don't like him, though. We're just friends. He's my _friend_. NOT my boyfriend."

"Yeah, right," Shiga said sarcastically. "My magic works on him all the time, except when I'm trying to...um...get him to notice me. You know what I mean?"

"I think so," Zelda replied, looking distastefully at the sorceress. "And if you think I'm going to help you 'get him to notice you,' you're insane. I'd never even consider it, let alone for a person who is going to have me killed in a few days!"

Shiga drooped, in melancholy defeat. "I give up. I can't do it without your help. After you're dead, maybe he'll see things more my way." She cackled triumphantly, returned to her normal self. She left the cell and returned to the main part of the castle. Zelda breathed a heavy sigh and slumped back against the wall, looking up to the Goddesses for help. Only two more days, she told herself. Then there would be no more hope for Hyrule.

Gannon raged in the underworld, knocking things over and screaming various curses. "Why did you let him get caught?" he demanded of Spryte. "It was your job to protect him! Now I'll never get the Triforce of Courage!"

"Well sorry, you snoot!" Spryte grumbled. "You're just as bad as Zelda!"

Gannon shuttered. No _way_ did he want to be like Zelda! He paced back and forth in front of his throne, the Triforce of Power floating above him. "We'll take him back at the execution in a few days, after he kills Zelda! Then Hyrule will be mine!" he cackled.

"Excuse me? Did I just hear you right?" Spryte asked, trying not to grin.

"No!" he yelled. "I said the Triforce of Wisdom will be ours!" He cackled again. Spryte sighed, slapping her tiny hand on her tiny forehead.

"Look, you big bozo!" she said, flying up into Gannon's face. "If you want to get Link back, you're going to have to keep Zelda alive. She's the one that can use the Triforce of Wisdom against Shiga. Link can use the Triforce of Courage, and you can use the Triforce of Power. We need Zelda alive.

"No! She needs to die!"

"You're just saying that because you want to take over Hyrule!" she accused. "If Zelda doesn't live, I won't let Link help you."

Gannon sighed. There was no way out of this. If Spryte wasn't alive and well when Link was freed of Shiga's control, then there was a good chance that Link wouldn't help Gannon. In that case, there would not be enough Triforce power to defeat the sorceress. "You win," he sneered. Spryte, smiling smugly, flew back out to the overworld.

Link lay awake on his bed, just waiting. Waiting for the sun to rise, to fall, and to rise again. That would be the day that Zelda would be rescued. He didn't know if he would be able to pull it off anymore, since Shiga had both the Triforce of Wisdom and the Triforce of Courage. But at least he could TRY to save poor Zelda...She must be terrified right now. She didn't know that Link was actually free from any control Shiga thought she had on him.

Hundreds of meaningless thoughts raced through his mind, but all of them seemed so important. He worried about his life, her life...whether or not Gannon planned to take over...poor Spryte...Groaning, he covered his face with his hands and tried to fall asleep. He needed to talk to Zelda, but that could foil his entire plan. Eventually, he did drift off to sleep, but not for long.

"Get up, you big oaf!" Shiga yelled, kicking his bed. It violently shook him awake, and he grumbled some not-so-nice things as he readied himself for the chores of the day. "Don't even bother cleaning today," she said, her eyes glowing.

"Why?" he asked, looking confused.

She squealed happily, beaming at him. "I got the princess's execution moved up to today!"

"Did you just hear that?" Gannon demanded, looking into the small globe he'd turned into a viewing pool. Spryte screamed and leapt out of her makeshift bed. "The execution is today! When exactly are we going to intervene and rescue Link?" He shuttered at the thought of _ever_ rescuing Link, but it was necessary for their plan.

"We don't have to do anything but defend them," the fairy said sleepily. "He's fine, he's okay; he's planning to save Zelda. All we need to do is watch his back."

"Good!" the creature grinned. "Where is the execution to be held?"

"Saria," she yawned. "I have a weird feeling about today. I don't know if it's all going to turn out right..."

"Of course it will," Gannon laughed. "Everything will go exactly according to plan..."

"The question is, who's plan will it abide by?" Spryte muttered, shoving her head under the pillow.

Thunder roared from the miserable rain clouds above Saria. The dark, gloomy day perfectly matched what was about to take place. The townsfolk watched in horror as a black palace coach, pulled by black Gerudo stallions, made its way into the town square. A beautiful yet deadly woman emerged from it, her long black hair waving in the wind.

"People of Saria," she said in a commanding voice, looking at each of their faces. "I am Shiga, a native of this town. Descended from the ancient Gerudo bloodline. We are a dying race, trying only to keeps its last members alive."

Gannon watched her furiously. She was no true Gerudo. A true Gerudo would approach things very differently, perhaps with a stolen Triforce or two. Then he remembered that she _did_ have two Triforces. Scowling with anger and jealousy, he quietly and innocently made his way to the front of the crowd, near the wooden platform. That was where the princess was to be killed.

"I bring with me today a traitor to the crown!" Shiga boomed. Gannon snapped back to attention, trying to stop Spryte from looking out from under his cloak. "Being as I am the crown now, and this wretch tried to stop me from having it, she is pronounced a traitor! No further explanation will be given! I give to you: the former Princess Zelda!"

The crowd gasped, astounded that Zelda was going to be killed. Some guards dragged her out of the black carriage, shoving her to the ground. She lay helpless, enwrapped in a white straightjacket, crying. Shiga commanded the guards to take her to the stand.

"And to perform the execution," she continued, grinning at the very thought, "I bring you none other than Hyrule's hero: Link!"

The crowd gasped again as they watched Link, dressed entirely in black and carrying his faithful sword, emerged willingly from the coach. His expression was emotionless, and he wore a silver chain around his waist. Gannon squealed with delight. The Triforce of Courage was with him!

"How's everything going?" Spryte asked from underneath Gannon's cloak. She didn't want to risk being seen by Shiga, so she had reluctantly agreed to hide with her enemy.

"Just according to plan," Gannon whispered happily. His twisted grin was at its fullest as he explained this to Spryte. "Link has the Triforce of Courage tied to his waist. When we rescue him, we will have both of the Triforces that we need!"

The hero strode up to the execution platform, standing cockily over the trembling Princess. He wanted desperately to reassure her somehow, to let her know that nothing was going to happen, but if he did they would both die on the spot. Glancing quickly around the crowd, he caught a glimpse of Gannon and a tiny glowing fairy not too far from where he stood. Silently, he prayed to Din that they didn't try to rescue him before he rescued Zelda.

"Link, raise your sword!" Shiga commanded, thoroughly enjoying this. He did so, and Zelda lay still with her head on the stone brick. "Draw your might from your Triforce, and use it to swing your sword as powerfully as you can!" Link closed his eyes fearfully, preparing for the next words out of her mouth.

"Off with her head!"

Zelda let out a shriek as Link dropped his sword next to her. Lifting her by the waist, he leapt into the frightened crowd. A huge bolt of magic shot and stunned Shiga. Gannon laughed in satisfaction.

"Link! You're...I'm not..." Zelda stuttered as her hero rushed through the crowd, with her in his arms.

"Nope," he said, hardly looking at her. "I'll explain later. Right now we have to run!"

Gannon cackled wildly as he and Spryte darted after Link. He'd never had so much fun without having Link de-energize him right away. He occasionally shot magic backward at Shiga, and for the most part she stayed stunned and in awe. "After them!" she finally yelled. The few guards that were there immediately rushed through the crowd toward the small group.

"Link! The Triforce!" Zelda screamed. She could see Shiga drawing power from the Triforce of Wisdom, and this worried her horribly.

Link glanced backward and saw the same thing. "We can't worry about that right now!" he yelled. They shoved through the mass of people, finally reaching the southern end of the town.

"More guards!" Gannon yelled gleefully, holding them off as Link untied Zelda. By the time she was free and unbound, the guards were just a horrid pool of blood. Grimacing, they pushed onward.

"Not. So. Fast," a cold, curt voice called from behind. Link stopped, and Zelda soon after. Gannon and Spryte turned around after noticing that the others had stopped. Shiga's eyes glowed an intense, vivid blue, a drastic change from her normally almond color. Her skin radiated golden, and Zelda could feel the emptiness inside her.

"Link," she said faintly, grabbing his arm for support. "She has all of the power of the Triforce of Wisdom within her. I don't know if we'll make it..."

He tried his best to keep her standing, but the Triforce had been a part of her for so long that she could barely keep up her strength without it being strong, as well. Without its magic, it was nothing but a golden triangle, good only as a paperweight.

"If you think for a second that you're about to get away that easily," she said coldly, leaving her sentence at that. Extending her palm, she shot a powerful stab of magic at the group. Light flashed horribly; they shielded their eyes before they were even hit. Zelda cried out upon impact, the force sending her several feet back. Spryte, also, smacked into Gannon hard, knocking them both down. The only one left standing after Shiga's attack was Link.

"You can't win," the sorceress said smugly, folding her illuminated arms. "You don't even know how to use the Triforce's power. You don't even have a sword, for that matter!"

Link scowled, remembering that he had dropped his sword at the execution site. "I don't need a sword to deal with _you_," he shot back.

"Don't play silly little mind games with me, boy," she said, approaching him slowly. He stood his ground as she stopped directly in front of him. She reached her arms up around his neck and pulled him into a kiss. After a moment, she pulled away and smiled into his quizzical brown eyes.

"Don't play Little Miss Hottie with me," he said firmly, not moving an inch. Her seductive smile turned into a frown, then to an angry glare. She backed away several steps, cupping her hands to create another attack of magic.

Link stood there, looking exasperated. Suddenly he felt the chain around his waist loosen and finally come off. Panicked, he glanced behind him to see who had taken it.

"Don't think she can kiss you and get away with it," Zelda said, grinning at Link. He smiled back and watched the princess stand up for herself and her kingdom.

"Oh, now the spoiled little brat wants to face me?" Shiga asked, looking amused. "I have your Triforce," she mocked, shooting magic at Zelda.

She easily deflected the shot, using the Triforce of Courage. Instantly, another was fired at the sorceress, catching her off guard. Shiga cried out in pain as the bolt struck her in the arm. "You may have my Triforce now, but that won't last too long," Zelda said confidently, shooting again at the sorceress. This time, though, she managed to block, standing up carefully.

"Zelda! Watch out!" Link cried helplessly from behind. Before she knew what was going on, the princess was struck over the head by something heavy. She slumped to the ground, out cold.

"Now _I_ have the Triforce of Courage!" Gannon cackled. "And the Triforce of Power! Hyrule is mine!"

Shiga glared at him, her golden skin starting to lose its glow. "What are you doing? I was having a fight here!"

"I am taking over Hyrule!" Gannon cackled again. He shot magic at Shiga, using both the Triforce of Power and of Courage. Such power was far too much for the girl to take. She immediately collapsed, letting the Triforce of Wisdom fall freely from her hands. Link bolted over and grabbed it, then shot back and hovered protectively over Zelda.

"You can't take this one without a good fight!" Link declared as Zelda began to stir. Spryte immediately tended to the princess and left the hero to fight it out.

"This isn't exactly going the way you planned, is it, Link?" the monster grinned. "You thought we would work together, and I would eventually betray you. You were correct, up until now. You next planned that you would easily defeat me, just as you always do. That is where you will be wrong!"

Link stared at him as he realized that it was true. Things were going all wrong for him right now. Gannon clearly had the advantage. If he just gave up, it might spare him his life...

__

"Link..." a soft voice called. "Hero of Time, keeper of peace, protector of Triforce. Hear our calling..."

"What is going on?" Link asked, more to himself than to the voice. He was suspended in a mystical black space, with blue lights illuminating from nowhere. Pearly white platforms were posted in various locations, and he was standing on one.

"We deliver a message," a different voice said, this one more childlike. A blue portal opened before him, and a girl, dressed in green, rose from a matching medallion. Link gaped at her in awe. "You and I aren't meant to live at the same time.." she said sadly. "I know that. You don't even know who I am, nor shall it be of any importance."

"What is important is that you do not give up," a new voice said, this time coming from behind. A dark-skinned woman rose from another medallion, this one orange. Her fiery red hair was pulled up into a ponytail, tied back with a brilliant pink band that matched her baggy outfit. "We have broken the rules, ridden against all ancient law, and have come to assist you and escape destiny's ties."

"Take this sword, Link," the first girl said, raising her arms above her. A silver blade appeared, hovering over her head. It slowly lowered itself to Link's hands. He grabbed it gingerly, glancing at the two girls with him.

"That is the original Master Sword," the red-haired woman said. "Many others have been made, with similar abilities, but only one is capable of destroying the creature of which you seek. Sleigh him with this blade. You and your princess will be forever safe."

Link nodded solemnly, his vision beginning to blur. He staggered back, holding the sword tightly in his right hand.

"Our time is running out," the green-haired girl said sadly. "Remember what we have said.. Remember.."

"..Link?" Zelda asked fearfully. He snapped back to attention, realizing that Gannon had him pinned to the ground using dark magic. The sword was still in his hands. What did this all mean?

"Get up and fight, you idiot!" Spryte yelled. Using the Triforce of Wisdom, he managed to break the spell that kept him in place, and he thrust the Master Sword at Gannon.

"Aah! Where did you get that?" the monster demanded, just barely dodging aside.

"I don't know," Link admitted, stabbing at him again. The blade grazed Gannon's arm, and the wizard screamed in agony. "Looks like it works, though!" Gannon retreated after a few more blows, only to be tripped by Shiga.

"I want my Triforce back!" she yelled, grabbing one of the chains from his hand. The monster roared angrily, but the Gerudo girl warped away, back to North Castle. Soon after, Gannon departed to the underworld.

Zelda stood up shakily, examining Link's sword. "How did you get that?" she asked, carefully wiping a bit of blood off of it.

"I don't know," Link repeated, handing the Triforce of Wisdom to Zelda. "Looks like we have out piece back."

"But now there are two missing," she pointed out. "If Gannon ever gets the Triforce of Courage from Shiga, or if she gets the Triforce of Power from him, we're doomed. We have to get back one or the other."

"Or both," Spryte suggested. She lazily fluttered onto Link's shoulder and kissed his cheek. "I missed you, Link!"

"I missed you, too, Spryte," he laughed. Zelda crossed her arms, grinning at him. He leaned forward and kissed her cheek, too. "I missed you, Zelda."

"I missed you, too, Link," she said, smiling. "Let's find a place to sleep or something, okay?"

And so, the small group made their way back north to Saria to find an inn to sleep at for the night. The next day was going to be stressful, they knew, so they needed as much sleep as possible.

*End Chapter Four*

Wow. Weird. It'll get even stranger, have no fear. I told you this'd be long, didn't I? It's not as long as I expected it to be, but...It's still very long, compared to the others. Chapter five out sometime in the relatively near future. I hope. I'll have more time to write, now. Please, please review!! Thanks!!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer  
  
Oi. No, I don't own Zelda, the cartoon or the games. Well, I should say I don't own the rights to the games—I do own some of the actual cartridges. ^_~  
  
Author's Notes  
  
Whew. I bet you all thought I was dead, huh? (All you that remember me, that is…lots of new faces over here since the last time I've posted! =D) Nope, I'm still alive and writin', just…not for Zelda. I kind of write Dragonball now— *hides from rotten fruit that she knows is coming* —and have sort of lost interest in Zelda— *hides better as rusted car parts are hurled her way* —but I'm back now! And I wrote something! It's short, but it's something. I kind of like the plot of this fic…not reading it for about 7 months really gives you a new perspective on things. n.n;;  
  
Struggle Between Powers  
  
Chapter 5  
  
The princess paced about the dirt in her high-heeled slippers, past her comrade and back again, agitatedly ignoring the pixie that danced about her head. "Not now, Spryte," was the only thing she uttered throughout her march—her eyes were fixated on the ground, and she was obviously lost in deep thought. The Triforce piece that she held in her hand glowed a radiant blue, shining as brightly as her mind was racing. It was her piece, after all, linked mentally and physically to its owner.  
  
The only thing her tunic-clad companion could do was gaze into the glowing Triforce, imagining it was the sun, and wondering how long he could stare at it before his eyes started to throb. He wasn't adept enough to ponder their current problem, and he knew it. So he didn't waste his time trying. Zelda could come up with a plan well enough with her Triforce back in her possession. The other two were still gone, and so long as the two opposing forces that currently held them didn't form a team, the three of them were safe. That was as much as he could figure into it.  
  
Spryte was much more of a worrier than Link, buzzing about Zelda's head, trying to get her thoughts and only receiving a small swat in return. "It's a wonder I haven't electrocuted you yet," she grumbled to herself as she was flicked away, flitting over to the other side of the Princess' crown. And naturally, Zelda paid no heed.  
  
Too many moments of silence passed; Zelda wore a path in the dirt—a small one, but a path nonetheless; Link spun his newly acquired sword in his hands, testing the grip and practicing drawing it. The only sound through the entire time was the buzz of Spryte's tiny wings. Link looked up, observing the worried princess, and the even more worried fairy that pestered her. The quiet was starting to get to him. He couldn't take it much longer.  
  
But if he dared to speak, he could end up hated for countless hours—perhaps even until Zelda's life was endangered again. And he couldn't risk that; not for anything. She had a habit of forming a grudge against him that he didn't quite like. But the ringing of the silence in his ears was louder and more annoying than any of her yelling fits. "Zelda?" he dared, immediately hating himself, but knowing that in the end he'd be glad that at least someone was talking, be it yelling or whatever.  
  
She stopped her pacing, and Spryte fluttered to a halt, both pairs of eyes staring at him in two seconds flat. Link felt himself sweatdrop. "What is it?" Zelda asked gently, sensing her friend tense up.  
  
"I, uh…" He smiled sheepishly, giving her a lame half-shrug as the only explanation for his protest. "I was tired of the quiet."  
  
She face-faulted, and Spryte snorted her disgust, and both women resumed pacing and worrying. Link sighed, unhappy with the results of his intervention. Perhaps it would be better if he had an actual idea next time.  
  
"The only way I can think of is infiltrating the castle," Zelda finally announced, stopping and staring between her comrades. Both of them simply stared back, unsure of how they were supposed to react. The princess swallowed hard and began to explain herself. "Shiga or whatever her name was took the Triforce of Courage, and she now resides in North Castle, so…the logical thing to do is to take it back, right?"  
  
"What about the one Gannon took?" Spryte put in, lifting an eyebrow in skepticism.  
  
"We won't worry about that right now," the princess said lamely. "I mean, what's two against one? We can force him into giving it up."  
  
Spryte sighed heavily and fluttered back down to land on Link's shoulder, content that she was welcome somewhere when he didn't swat her away. "We don't have cover anymore," the hero pointed out. "I blew it. I can't pretend to be under her control anymore because she'll know it's just an act, unless she's stupider than she looks."  
  
"Link," Spryte giggled, "she already is stupider than she looks. Now we have to rely on her being stupider than she acts."  
  
Zelda laughed in agreement. "She sure does make a lame super villain…but somehow, she's managed to triumph over us. I don't get it."  
  
"Don't expect to. I'm sure we'll figure it out soon enough," Link commented. "Is that what we're doing, then? Invading our own castle and taking it over using the magic of the Triforce?"  
  
The three glanced back and forth over each other, until Zelda finally gave a firm not. "Looks like it. All we have to do now is go back…all the way back north to the castle."  
  
Another long pause ensued. No one was looking forward to the journey, and it was obvious that it would be a long way home from here.  
  
~*~  
  
"Curses!" Gannon exclaimed to himself, throwing an angry, clenched fist into the air in pure disgust. He drew it back down and let it relax, staring in horror at his discolored palm and shaking his head. "How could I have let them slip through my fingers like that?"  
  
Not waiting for an answer from himself, he growled and resumed his pacing—it was the one and only thing he had in common with the princess, besides owning a total of one Triforce piece: he, too, paced around when angered and frustrated. Now was definitely one of those times, and he was also wearing a hole in the ground from lack of letting up on his aggravation.  
  
"I need a plan!" he roared, sending a blast of dark magic toward a collection of gold pottery in the corner. The entire table was incinerated within seconds, the gold melted and left to dry on the cold, stone floor of the Underworld. Later, he would regret doing that, he knew; but right now, he couldn't care less if he wanted to.  
  
That sorceress had mind control powers—she could turn his entire army against him if they were subjective enough, which they undoubtedly were, seeing as he made sure that his recruits wouldn't disobey even him. None of them had willpower strong enough to withstand the sorceress' abilities. Taking the castle by storm was therefore out of the question. It simply wouldn't work with the kind of firepower he would have.  
  
He, too, was a wizard, a user of magic. There must be something that he had an advantage in—something that he could rise and conquer with, given the opportunity and the proper circumstances. There was nothing he could do to counter her mind-power spells, but he perhaps could turn inanimate objects against her…and if that didn't work, he wouldn't be losing any important soldiers, only a few castle appliances. They weren't even his to begin with, so what was the big deal?  
  
Of course, he'd first need a distraction to get into the castle unnoticed…what better a distraction would there be than an honest-to-Din attempt at an attack? The three twits would undoubtedly be trying to sneak in there sometime soon. He could follow them, perhaps learn their plan, expose them, and, while the guards were after the three "good guys", he could sneak right in past them and snatch up the Triforce of Courage. It was all too good of a plan.  
  
The wizard lifted a hand and yelled something in ancient Hylian; in the blink of an eye, he had vanished and been replaced by a raven—he'd transformed himself. A better disguise would obviously come later, but for now, what he needed was some transportation. He took to the chilly air of the cavern and flew on out of there, now eager to catch up with his goody- goody adversaries. They would be sorry they sided against him soon enough.  
  
~*End Chapter*~  
  
More Author's Notes  
  
Well, I know it was short, but that's because I didn't have the time or patience to make it longer. Sorry, sorry—I prefer writing long chapters now, but I've also got a ton of schoolwork to do and don't exactly have the time to be writing 50-page chapters right now. At least you know I'm still alive. ^_~  
  
Pointless Information  
  
My DBZ pen name is Pan no Ojousan, for those of you who'd care. The stuff I wrote over there is a hell of a lot better than the stuff I have over here. e.e;  
  
– Nature Sage 


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer  
  
I don't own it in the least.  
  
Author's Notes  
  
Wow. Zero reviews isn't exactly the best incentive to get some writing done, but whatever. I'll put up another chapter anyway. But if no one reviews, quite honestly, it seems to me that no one's reading the fic. So I'll quit writing it before long lest I get some feedback. I feel like no one's listening, and I don't like that at all.  
  
By the way, I've decided to go with short chapters for this fic, being as I don't have time to make them very long. Please don't hate me for that. Thanks for understanding…if anyone's reading, anyway.  
  
Struggle Between Powers  
  
Chapter 6 (Did I name these chapters? Methinks not.)  
  
"Hello!" the little pixie called into the cavern, giggling with delight as she heard her shout echoed back to her. She felt like she had a strong voice when she yelled into caves like this; one of her biggest wishes always was that she could be a Hylian for a day. This kind of made her feel like her wish came true.  
  
Only for a moment, however, did she get to experience the feeling of being big. Zelda stepped in front of the fairy, frowning and shaking her head in disappointment. Spryte recoiled and shrieked in surprise, fluttering backward a few feet, startled by the sudden appearance of the princess. "Spryte, I thought you'd grown out of that echoing thing," she scolded. "Cut it out and let's get going."  
  
The trio was about to enter the cave just north of Saria, using the Triforce of Wisdom as a light to make it through safely. There were no enemies to defeat along the way anymore—Shiga had them all under her spell, and they were all at the castle, ready and waiting to do the sorceress' bidding. While it might not be an entirely good thing when they made it to North Castle, it would serve them just fine for the time being. With nobody around to attack them, the three had clearance to get to the castle unharmed, and that was exactly what they needed. Now, the only thing they had to hope for was a miracle—a perfect plan to recapture their home and the third piece of the Triforce.  
  
Leading the way, Link waved his sword about in the darkness, trying to cut through some of the cobwebs that would undoubtedly scare the two Princesses to death if they were to become caught in one, especially Spryte. Her tiny form would surely panic if presented with such a situation. "I think it's okay, ladies," he tiredly remarked, glancing back at the women. "Zelda, you can go lead the way now, if that's not too big an annoyance."  
  
"It'll be fine, hero," the princess said, half-sarcastically, taking the lead before her tunic-clad companion. "The only thing that's too big an annoyance is letting you tag along…"  
  
"Hey…I take offence to that."  
  
"That you should. Anyway, this cave isn't very long, if I remember correctly, so it should be a breeze to get back to the castle this way—unless, by some twisted stroke of misfortune, you manage to get us lost—"  
  
Link shouted in brief protest, a look of annoyance passing over his face. "You're the one leading us, here, Princess," he pointed out.  
  
"I know," she said simply. "I'll blame you, anyway, though. You know that."  
  
About to argue back, he stopped himself, and simply sighed in defeat, allowing only a small smile to trace his lips as he looked back at all that she'd blamed him for in the past. "Yeah, I know," he agreed, a tone of fake sadness laced in his voice. Truth be told, however, he adored her ability to blame him for everything without a hint of guilt.  
  
Perfectly satisfied, Zelda kept walking, and Link kept following, Spryte trailing only a few yards behind. It wouldn't be too long before they reached the castle…hopefully, the entire journey would go as smoothly as these first few hours had.  
  
~*End Chapter*~  
  
More Author's Notes  
  
Yeah, short, very short, I'm aware. Sorry. I have a lot to do, I feel bad about not updating this a lot, maybe it'll get really, really long. In fact, it probably will. Plus, I've hit writer's block. So this is all you get for now. Sorry 'bout that, more coming as soon as I get done with my homework. I'd just like to remind you all to please review…else I'll just drop writing Zelda fiction altogether. I don't mean that to seem like a threat, but you know, I'm tired of feeling ignored.  
  
– Nature Sage 


End file.
